Chloe adjusted her sunglasses as she and Estelle stepped into the early morning sunshine. At the sound of yelling and hammering, she glanced to her left. The park was a hub of activity. Men and women were busy setting up chairs and the stage for this afternoon’s fashion show. She couldn’t see it from where she stood outside the bakery, but she knew a tent was being erected behind the stage. They were getting their hair and makeup done at the salon, but they’d be changing in the tent.
“Thank goodness the press hasn’t arrived. The last thing either of us needs is a photo without our makeup on appearing in the tabloids.” Estelle said, and looped her arm through Chloe’s.
Chloe shuddered at the thought. With her recent spate of bad publicity, that was the last thing she needed. “It’s a little early for them to arrive, but to be on the safe side, maybe we should forgo picking up a coffee. I’m sure Ty will have a pot on.”
“Good idea, my dear,” Estelle said as they headed to the salon. She patted Chloe’s hand. “I’m going to miss you, you know. If I get the part, I probably won’t be back in the States for some time.”
“I’ll miss you, too. But this is a fabulous opportunity for you, Estelle, and I have no doubt it’s the first of many. Just look at Betty White. Besides, I’m already making plans to visit you in London. And we can Skype every day.”
The older woman sniffed and nodded, then stopped walking to remove a handkerchief from her purse.
“Oh, Estelle, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry,” she said, rubbing the older woman’s arm. “Do you not want to go?”
“No, I’m excited about the thought of being in front of the camera again. But…” She offered Chloe a small smile. “You’ve become very dear to me. I’m closer to you than my own grandchildren. And I’d hoped one day, in the not-too-distant future, you would be family.”
“You’re going to make me cry.” Chloe sniffed, then gave Estelle a heartfelt hug before saying, “We don’t need to be related by blood or to have a piece of paper to make it so. You’re the grandmother of my heart, Estelle. And if you give Cat a chance, you can have two granddaughters.”
“I don’t know, my dear. I think I may have ruined any chance of that happening. My grandson is barely speaking to me.”
“That’s as much my fault as it is yours. And I plan to repair your relationship with Grayson, and my sister, before you leave for London. You just leave everything to me.” She took the handkerchief from Estelle’s hand and gently dabbed at the older woman’s damp cheeks. “We’ll start with Cat first. She’s in the fashion show, so we’ll…Oh my, goodness, this is too perfect. While you distract my sister, I’ll get hold of her phone and invite Grayson. Knowing Cat, she hasn’t told him she’ll be making an appearance. We’ll kill two birds with one stone. You’ll have an opportunity to talk to your grandson face-to-face, and Cat will look so fabulous that Grayson will forget about their problems.”
Chloe chewed on her bottom lip. There was one problem with her plan. “We’ll have to sneak out to the tent to see what she’s wearing. If the outfit’s casual or tailored, we’ll switch it up with something sexy. Actually, I have the perfect dress in mind. No one will know it wasn’t from Naughty and Nice.”
“You’re a wonder, my dear.”
Chloe smiled absently as she went over the plan in her head. She had to talk to Ty about Cat’s hair and makeup. Maybe Chloe would do it herself. The time had come for her to take her sister’s beauty regimen in hand. And her love life. She winced at the thought, reminding herself that’s what had gotten her into trouble in the first place. But now that she was honestly acting in Cat’s best interest, everything would—well, should—turn out just fine.
Her excitement faded a little as they reached Diva. The salon was packed. Through the front window, she saw that Nell and her friends were already in the stylist chairs. As she went to open the door, Chloe squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. Without her makeup on and hair styled, it wasn’t easy swanning into the salon like she owned the place, but she did. Ty had warned her that he’d kick her behind if she played the shrinking violet as she had at Naughty and Nice.
She pasted a confident smile on her face. “Good morning, ladies. Is everyone excited for the big show today?”
Nell, with red dye in her hair, swiveled in the stylist chair and gave Chloe an up-and-down look. “I see you’ve recovered after your close encounter with your fake stalker. Though you are looking a little the worse for wear.”
Before Chloe had a chance to respond, Ty, standing behind Mrs. Tate’s chair, pointed his scissors at Nell. “Another word out of you, and you’ll have pink hair. I’ll wash out your color before it’s set.”
Estelle tittered.
Nell’s eyes narrowed. “I thought you were heading to London. Hope you didn’t stick around for this. We already have—”
Estelle interrupted her. “I was supposed to leave today, but Ty begged me to stay. He needs at least one mature woman who knows what she’s doing on stage. And I didn’t have the heart to disappoint Fred and Ted.”
Ty’s eyes went wide. He looked at Chloe and lifted his chin to the back of the salon. He didn’t have to tell her twice. Chloe was already on Nell’s hit list, and if Estelle shared…
“By the by, Nell, did Fred tell you he planned to join me in London? Oh, my, I can tell by your expression that he didn’t. I never was very good at keeping—”
Chloe tugged on Estelle’s arm. “You can chat later. We have to get started on our treatments.”
The door opened, and her mother and sister, along with Brandi, entered the salon. Cat had already had words with Chloe about her and Ty’s stalkercapade. Last night, her sister had arrived seconds after Chloe had learned that Easton had been on a date. Two days after he’d sort of kind of broken up with her, he’d been out with someone else. So of course she hadn’t been in the mood to be lectured by her sister, who had kissed Easton. And Chloe left the salon without speaking to either one of them. She also hadn’t spoken to her mother since Gage had ratted her out.
But she didn’t have much choice now. She gave her mother and sister a wide, welcoming smile. “Good morning, Mommsy and Kit Kat. We’re all going to have so much fun today, aren’t we?” She could hope, couldn’t she? But she was already feeling overwrought, and that feeling only intensified when she caught the gleam in Nell’s eyes.
“Brandi, you’re looking beautiful, girlie. Ty won’t have to do a thing with you. Probably just as well since some of these ladies need a whole lot of help.” She cast Chloe and Estelle a pointed look before continuing, leaving no doubt who she was referring to. “Nothing like love to put a twinkle in your eye and a flush in your cheeks. How was your date with Easton, by the way?”
Chloe’s jaw dropped. Then, despite the knife-like pain in her chest, she pasted a smile on her face. But when Brandi, looking as beautiful as Nell said she did, opened her mouth, Chloe knew she couldn’t stand there listening to a blow-by-blow of their night together without her reaction showing on her face. Even she wasn’t that good of an actress.
“Pardon me, nature calls,” she said, and speed-walked to the bathroom. She shut the door, leaning against it for support. Her legs were shaky, and she felt sick to her stomach. She was about to lock the door when Ty pushed his way inside.
He took one look at her, lowered the toilet’s lid, and sat her down. “Don’t let Nell get to you, Diva. She pulled a fast one on Easton. He didn’t know it was a date until he got to the restaurant. And if you would have stuck around last night, instead of flouncing off in a huff, he would have told you himself.”
“But you don’t understand, Ty. Brandi is exactly what Easton’s looking for. She’s beautiful, and she needs his protection. Truly needs it. Her ex-husband’s an abusive alcoholic, and she’s raising her son on her own.”
“Oh, I thought you were upset because she was one of the mean girls who bullied you in high school.”
“She was.” Chloe glanced at the door. “I don’t think I can go out there. They all know how I feel about Easton. How I’ve always felt about him. And now—” She broke off when the door opened.
“You okay?” her sister asked.
“I can’t face them,” Chloe said, repeating her fears to Cat. Her sister turned to Ty. “Can you give us a minute?”
“Sure thing, Pus…” He looked at Chloe and sighed. “Kit Kat.”
When Ty shut the door behind him, her sister crouched in front of her. “You can’t let them get to you. You did the same thing back in high school, Chloe. You’re the perfect target. You don’t stand up for yourself and fight back. You even did it again at Naughty and Nice the other day.” She angled her head, her gaze roaming Chloe’s face. “I don’t get it. You weren’t like this in LA.”
“I know, I was a bully.”
“No, you weren’t a bully. You were aggressive and ambitious. You went after what you wanted, and you weren’t afraid to stick up for yourself.”
She gently pushed her sister’s wispy bangs from her eyes, and smiled. “Thank you for saying that, Kit Kat. And thank you for being here for me now. I don’t like when we fight. I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too. And I’m sorry about what you saw and overheard at the ranch the other day. I didn’t know there was anything between you and Easton.” Her shoulders went up around her ears when she drew in a heavy breath. “Not that I should have been kissing him. I still can’t believe that I did.”
“Why did you?”
“I’m not blaming you, Chloe, but all that talk about him being my one…I guess I was scared I was making another mistake. Grayson and I were having problems, and then I invited his dad here, and that made everything worse. I think the man hates me more than Estelle does.”
“Estelle doesn’t hate you. She was just afraid of losing Grayson. He’s the only one who’s ever shown her any affection. They’re kind of a dysfunctional family. I’m sure that’s why you and Grayson are having problems. He has trust issues, and after Michael, so do you. And don’t get mad at me, but when you’re upset, you shut yourself off. You need to be honest with Grayson and let him in.”
“When did you get so smart?”
“I always was, only no one ever took me seriously.”
“Does Easton?”
“I think so.” She wrinkled her nose and looked down at her hands. “Well, he did. I’m not sure how he feels after last night.” She lifted her gaze to meet her sister’s. “I’m falling in love with him, Kit Kat.”
“Yeah, that’s pretty obvious.”
She frowned. “How come you’re not rolling your eyes like you usually do when I tell you I’m in love with someone?”
“Chloe, you told me you were in love with Grayson an hour after you met him on the set.”
“Oh, right,” she said, her cheeks heating at the reminder.
“Besides, Easton was always the one for you. And it must be true love because he’s not perfect. He has a damaged leg. And there’s nothing you hate more than imperfection.”
“How can you say that? He’s perfect in every way. He has a little scarring, sure, but the strength in his leg will eventually improve.” She crossed her arms. “I’m very disappointed in you, Kit Kat. You never used to be this shallow.”
Her sister laughed and pulled Chloe to her feet. “Oh yeah, definitely true love. And just so you know, Easton isn’t interested in Brandi. He’s interested in you.”
“Were you not listening to me earlier? Easton is a protector, and Brandi needs protection. I don’t.”
Cat pressed her lips together as though trying not to laugh, then said, “Ah, Chloe, I don’t know how to break it to you. But you’re the type of woman a man will always feel the need to protect. You’re a girly girl.”
“Are you being sarcastic?”
“No, just telling it like it is.”
“Well, don’t be offended, Kit Kat, but I think you should be more like me. Did you ever think that your macho fiancé might like to feel you need him to protect you every now and again?”
Cat scoffed. “I don’t need anyone to protect me.”
“You will this afternoon when you’re walking down the stage in four-inch heels.” She followed Cat out of the bathroom. “Is Grayson coming to the fashion show?”
“Are you kidding me? I don’t want him to see me looking like an idiot. The only reason I agreed to do this is for Ty.”
Chloe made a show of looking around the salon. “You know, Ty’s really busy. So why don’t I do your hair and makeup for you? “Without giving her sister a chance to respond, Chloe called Estelle over on the pretense of helping with the makeover. It was time to mend some fences. “Now, you just sit down and relax, Kit Kat. Oh, do you happen to know what you’re wearing in the fashion show? That way we can coordinate your makeup to your outfit.”
Cat sighed. “A pair of jeans and a frou-frou top.”
Honestly, her sister had no idea how much she needed her help. “All right. Give me your phone: I want to take before-and-after pics.”
* * *
Chloe sat beside Estelle in the chairs at the sinks with warm towels draped over their faces and wrapped around their heads. Ty was saving them for last. He’d ordered hair and facial treatments for them while they waited. Though the treatments actually felt more invigorating than calming. Her skin and scalp were tingling. But other than that, and despite the incident with Nell and Brandi, Chloe was happy and relaxed. Her sister’s makeover had gone brilliantly. She looked stunning. And best of all, Cat and Estelle had made significant headway in improving their relationship. Chloe was excited to see Grayson’s reaction to both. And there was no doubt he’d be in the park this afternoon after the text Chloe had sent him. Thinking of what she’d promised her sister’s fiancé, she grinned, then grimaced at the twinge the movement caused.
Pushing herself upright, she removed the towel from her face and called out to Ty, who was at the workstation to Chloe’s right, blow-drying her mother’s hair. “I think I’m done, Ty.”
He glanced her way, then did a double-take and dropped the brush. Her hands went to her face. “What’s wrong?”
Estelle sat up and removed her towel. Chloe took one look at the older woman’s beet-red face and screamed. Estelle looked at Chloe and did the same. “Mirror, I need a mirror,” Chloe said, flapping her hands in front of her face. She felt faint.
“No, no mirror,” Ty said as he hurried to her side. He reached for a container on the shelf behind the sink. He unscrewed the cap and sniffed. “Holly, which treatment did you use on Chloe and Estelle?”
Chloe’s nemesis from high school twisted her hands. “I-I thought you wanted me to use the red one.”
“No, I told you to use the gold jar. The red jar is an intensive peel that—”
“Burns the skin!” Chloe shrieked.
Her mother and sister rushed to her side. Instead of telling Chloe to calm down like she expected them to, they stared down Holly. Estelle turned to add her glare to theirs, and her towel slipped off her head. Chloe gasped. “Y-your hair is…red!”
Estelle collapsed in the chair. “Water, get her some water,” Chloe cried, and then brought a trembling hand to her own head. She pointed to the towel and whimpered. “Kit Kat, take it off.”
Her sister did as she asked and grimaced. “Is it red?” Chloe whispered.
“No.” Relieved, Chloe sagged in the chair. “It’s purple.”
Ty buried his face in Cat’s shoulder while her mother stormed to the front of the salon, shutting off the hair-dryer Nell sat beneath. “You have gone too far this time! Look what you’ve done to my daughter. You’ve ruined her face and her hair. Oh no, don’t you try and deny it,” her mother said when Nell opened her mouth. “I know your handiwork when I see it. I’m calling Paul right now.”
“Mommsy’s right. I can’t go out there like this. I’ll be ruined. She blinked back tears as the expression on Ty’s face registered. He was devastated. “This isn’t your fault, Ty. I’m…We’re not blaming you, are we, Estelle?”
“No, it’s that old battle-ax’s fault.”
Ty removed his glasses and swiped at his eyes. “It doesn’t matter. I might as well cancel. They’re here to see you, Chloe. The press has come from all over. Even Access Hollywood sent a correspondent.”
She took in Ty’s crushed expression and, despite her heart pounding an erratic beat, rose weakly to her feet. “I guess we better get this show on the road then.”